Enter your big buck in The Sentinel’s contest

LEWISTOWN — Hundreds of local hunters will be successful in bagging bucks this year and we look forward to seeing them in The Sentinel’s annual Big Buck Contest.

Antlered deer that meet the three-point standard and are killed during the archery season or the regular firearms deer season are eligible. Winners will be declared in adult and junior divisions (junior license or mentored youth hunters), with the first-place deer featured on the cover of the Big Buck edition to be published after the season ends.

Winners will be rewarded with a gift card.

As always, photos of all deer entered in the contest will be published in the special section.

To qualify for the contest, deer must be taken in Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Snyder or Huntingdon counties, or by residents of those counties hunting anywhere in Pennsylvania. Bucks shot in other states may not be entered.

To enter, we prefer you bring the whole deer — properly tagged — but the cape (head and hide) are acceptable as long as the tag is correctly attached. All deer must have been killed legally according to the Pennsylvania Wildlife Code. Deer must be presented at The Sentinel, 352 Sixth St., Pleasant Acres, for measurement, and must be photographed by our staff.

We will not accept for entry any deer that is not presented as outlined above.

Hours for deer measurement during the regular firearms season are as follows:

* Monday through Friday, you may bring in a deer anytime between from 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. If you wish to bring a deer after 4:30 on a weekday, you must call 248-6741 in advance to ensure a photographer is present.

* Saturdays, measurements will be taken from 11 a.m. to noon only. There will not be a photographer available at any other time Saturday.

* Sundays, deer taken Saturday may be brought in from 6 to 7 p.m. Again, this is the only time entries will be accepted on a Sunday.

Please bring your deer to the main entrance, facing Mifflin County Junior High School. On weekends or after hours, ring the doorbell.

Contest entries will be accepted through noon Monday, Dec. 12.

Each deer’s score will be the sum of the rack’s outside spread, number of points big enough to hold a ring, and base circumference of both antlers. The outside spread will be used as a tie-breaker.*